Parents who may be new to wrestling often hear various sayings or what I’d like to call isms. They may come from a coach, wrestler on the bench, fan or parent. Below is a glossary of many “isms”, including some of my favorites.

“Your Way” – In the neutral (standing position) both wrestlers are seeking to gain a tactical advantage to set up there offensive or takedown. Your Way refers to staying focused on gaining Your Advantage in the set up by forcing your set up on the opponent. For example, a wrestler who prefers to set up his offense by circling his opponent using good hand fighting skills, and body movement, may be at a disadvantage if engaged in a close tie up with a stronger opponent whose is using the tie to set up throws or headlocks.

“Constant pressure” – Or simply PRESSURE, Make your opponent feel your determination, physically and psychologically. Always get up one more time or always score one more time. They are always pressing the action in an intelligent manner. He either creates opportunities to attack or the opponent attacks and the wrestler is ready to counterattack very aggressively. Smart wrestlers use constant pressure to counter and take advantage of an opponents mistakes. This creates excitement and has a tendency to mentally and physically fatigue an opponent.

“Ride him Hard” – This is related to pressure. It might be better to say attack, counterattack, etc. It is simply the attitude of determination to never let up and let your opponent feel your determination to win.

“Get Your One” – When a wrestler is in a defensive position seeking an escape (worth one point ) get your one, means get the escape, get to neutral and re-start your way to gain advantage.

“Turn Him” – The ultimate goal in a wrestling match is the fall, or pin. Turn him means expose the defensive wrestlers back to the mat to score more points, and to work towards the fall.

“Just keep wrestling” – It is very important no matter what the position to keep wrestling. A lot of athletes get in trouble because they take breaks after scoring or being scored upon. A competitor just cannot do this.

“Score. Score” – This is very closely related to never stop wrestling. When you are in the process of scoring or being scored upon, you are already mentally ready to score again. A nearfall should follow every takedown. If I get taken down, it should be followed by a reversal or escape. This must be stressed in training so there is non-stop pressured action. This is total wrestling.

“No one controls you” – The emphasis here is I am either attacking, counterattacking or getting in position to do one or the other. If my opponent is controlling me, he is winning. I must fight with every fiber of my being to be the person in control. I cannot win when my opponent is controlling me.

“Always improving” – This would be very closely related to striving for perfection. The wrestler to base his success on whether he won or lost. I want him to have a standard of performance that reflects the limits of his development at that point in time. The result will depend to a great degree on the ability of the person we are wrestling. There is no limit to how much an athlete can improve if they understand their physical capabilities and apply those to the various ways of approaching the art of wrestling. Remember, it is a wrestling match. I want every student to be driven to master the art in a way that will give them the greatest opportunity for success.

“Don’t go off the mat” – I am convinced there are very few times when a wrestler has to go off the mat. f you want to fatigue your opponent, you must make your opponent keep fighting. When you get near the edge, circle back in. Do not stop wrestling, pull in back in if you have to .

“Never surrender” – Physically there may be times when you are superior and there may be times when your opponent is superior. Here, I’m talking about my will. Your opponent can never defeat your will. You want to train your will in practice to never give in. If you learn to be strong in your will, this will give you a foundation for the development of the physical.

“Respect all. Fear none” – This is a balanced attitude to prepare one for competing against any opponent in any situation. The enemies of success are fear of failure and complacency. This attitude of respect and focusing on competing at the highest level no matter what, in training and in competition, gives me the greatest chance of success.

“Don’t let up” – As I indicated before, there are a number of these that are inter-related. In training and competition, always perform at the highest possible level. Take no breaks unless they are part of the training process.

“Be a hammer, not an anvil” – Wrestling is a contact sport and a combative sport. When you’re scoring, you’re the hammer. When you’re getting scored on, you’re the anvil. The secret is be the hammer as mush as possible. And when you are the anvil, turn into a hammer as quick as possible. This is an attitude where even when you are the anvil your will never surrenders. This will assure that some day you will become the hammer.

“Believe and succeed” – Confidence comes from previous success and preparation. It is very important to be realistic about your ability and possibilities but always strive to reach the next level and defeat someone who you weren’t supposed to defeat. Learn to wrestle in your mind and see every technique being successful. Learn to dispel all negative thoughts. This goes along with “just keep wrestling”. This is not an instant formula for success, but one intended to help you be successful to the limits of your God-given ability.

“No one can hold you down” – At this point in history, the bottom position is the weakest position. We must work to change this. I want wrestlers who are not afraid to chose the down position. They are confident that they can break control and escape or reverse. This is all based on understanding how the top athlete is going to attack you. You must be able to maintain position and not give up control. There are no escapes or reversals from your back or your belly.

“Command respect” – This would simply be building on the concept that I earn respect by the way I train and compete and by the way I treat others, especially teammates, coaches, officials, other wrestlers and fans. Actions speak far louder than words. I must train in a way that prepares me to compete in a way that earns respect.

“Whatever it takes” – This is drawing attention to being willing to give up what isn’t important to achieve what you have determined to be important. This is a 24-hour a day attitude. It applies to every aspect of my life.

“Attitude is everything” – The heart is the center of my will and my mind frames my thoughts. How I look at each opponent and/or each training session and competition is critical. I want the glass to always be half full. Frame all your thoughts in a positive way.

“Success does not rest” – This is why it is so important to have a standard of evaluation that goes way beyond winning or losing. You have to have a standard where you are competing with yourself to reach the limits of your possibilities. When you get close to any goal, set another goal.